Keyboard.



PET'ERMANNL- v KEYBOARD... 1,081,142.

'APPLICATION FILED mmv/,1911.

Patented "Du 9,1913."-

titl

s'rirrns PATENT OFFICE.

Rumaenien.

gftillwjl Mja I n peolcation of Letters Patent. Patentd Dec, 9, 1913,

Application tiled .Tanuary l?, 1911. Serial No. 603,121.

filth all fio/"tom t may concern f Be it known that ll, Orro PETERMANN, a

citizen or the Republic of Switzerland, and i a resident ot Groton, county of Tompkins,

- and State ot New York, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Keyboards, of which. the following is a full, clear, and enact description.

This invention relates moreparticularly the key-tavern and means i'or supporting y the same oit iront-strike toldable typewriting machines.

lthe primary object oi the invention is to provide a machine in which each key-lever may be formed as a single piece from sheet' metal, and the said key-lever so made that it may be suspended trom a support and its bearing portion 'formed so as to provide an ent-ended hearing surface for the key-lever to prevent all liability. to sidewise motion.

Another objectof' the invention is to provide a key-lever which may be stamped trom sheet steel or other metal with a minimum amount ot waste, and which may be readily and easily made to permit the saine to be properly supported on the machine tranre. i i

A further object oi the invention is to provide key-levers which may be supported in groups along transversely-extending rods and which have integral means for spacing the saine apart in groups, and to provide means whereby the key-levers may be yieldingly iorced in one direction and have their inner ends connected to the type-bars to operate the same.

lilith these and other objects inyiew, the invention will be hereinafter niore particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which vform a part ot this specification, and will then be pointed out in the claims at the end ot the description.

ln the drawings, Figure l is a longitudial section, partly in elevation, oiE one form t machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is la fragmentary plan view, partly in section, showing how the key-levers are constructcd and supported. Fig. 3 is a detail is a levers.

The frame 10 may be of any suitable conperspective view of one of the keystruct-ion and may have a vertically movable and foldable support 11 on which a carriage 12 is mounted to move transversely :of the machine. A platen 13 is mounted on the carriage to move therewith, and for 'letter-spacing a suitable escapement mechanism is provided including a rack 14 which is engaged by dogs mounted upon the support, there being a suitable propelling mechanism as at l5, for forcing `the carriage in -one direction. The escapement mechanism ymay be operated by a rocking frame 16 which may be pivoted, as at 17, and arranged to rock the frame are bell-crank `levers 18, the outer ends of which are connected to a universal bar 19. The parts -thus described may be of the usual or of any preferred construction. 1.

A plurality of transversely-extending rods 20, 21 and 22 are suitably supported `between the sidesl of the frame 10, and mounted on said bars are key-levers v23. `These key-levers are arranged in groups. As shown, there arel three groups, each group being supported on one of the transversely-extending rods and each key-lever has its inner end 24 located under the universal bar 19 and has a projecting portion or lug1 25 in which is an aperture 26. A link 27 connects the lug 25 by engagement with the aperture 26 at one end and an aperture 28 in a lug or. projecting part 29 of the type-bar 30. The type-bars 30 are pivoted at 3l to ka bracket or brackets 32 suitably supported on the rear part of the j elevation ot the key-lever blank; and Fig.

and has a linger piece or key 37.

i Each key-lever has a lug 38 and connected to' each lug is an independent sprin 39, one end of which is connected to said ug, and the other end thereof to a transverse bar or late 40, Said spring tending normally to iiold each key-lever in a horizontal position. The key-levers each have an integral suspending head or member 41. This head has fa bearing-part 4la which projects upward 10 from the upper edge of the key-lever body and in said part is an aperture 42 adapted to fit over one of the transverse bars 2O to 22 according to the grouping of said levers. An integral reach or tie bar 43 extends outward and laterally from the front edge of the bearing' part 41, and at the end of said reach bar 43 is a. lug 44 in which is an aperture 45. In forming the blank of the'lrey-lever, the bar 43 is stamped so as to lie substantially arallel with the part 34 of the key-lever body, and said bar is then bent or formed at substantially right angles to said body and the lug 41, and the part 44 is bent at right angles to the bar 43 at a point, as at 46, so as to lie parallel with the bearing part 41a and so that the openings'42 and v45 will be in alinement. By this means, the key-lever may be readily made with a minimum amount of waste and the bar and bearing parts 41a and 44 serve to provide means whereby the key-levers may be spaced in groups along the transverse bars or rods 20 to 22, it being only necessary to see that the outer key-levers are properly spaced, as by the collars or sleeves 47 held on the ends of the sai-d rods as shown best in Fig. 2.

While I show the invention as applied to a folding typewriter, it will be understood that the invention may be applied to the usual or anyv preferred form of machine, and while I show certain features of such a machine and particularly the frame, the universal bar and its connection with a part of the escapement mechanism, such features are not claimed herein, but are covered'in other. pending applications filed by me.

Y From the fore oing, it will be seen that a' simple and eiiicient key-lever is provided which vmay be stamped 'as a single piece from sheet metal; that said key-lever has an eX- tended bearing surface which serves to space the key-levers apart; that simple means is provided whereby the key-levers may be suspended from supports extending transversely of the machine; and that simple means isprovided whereby the key-levers may be readily operated and connected to the type-bars.

I Iaving thus described my invention, I claim as`new and desire to secure by Letters f Patent ing 'supporting rods, of a (plurality of keylevers suspended from sai rods in groups and each key-lever having its body portion formed with an integral suspending head 1ntermediate its ends and comprising. an upwardly-projecting 'bearing part, an integral reach'bar arranged at right angles to said part, an inte ral bearing portlon at rlght angles to sai with the first-mentioned bearing part, said alined bearing parts having apertures therein to fit the rods and arranged to bear d1- reach bar and in alinement rectly against the bearing parts of the keylever next adjacent thereto. .D 2. In a typ'ewriting machme, the combination with'a support, of key-levers each provided with a horizontally arranged body having an integral suspending head intermediate the ends and extending laterally on one side only of the body of the lever.

3. In na typewriting machine, the combination with a support, of a plurality of keylevers each provided with an integral suspending head located above the body of the key-lever intermediate the `ends and extending on one side only of said body, said head having spaced bearing parts andv a bar connecting said parts at the vertical edges thereof.

4. In a typewriting machine, a key-lever j Y' having a substantially horizontally-extending body portion, a bearing' part extending from one edge and intermediate the ends thereof and provided with an aperture, an

integral reach and spacing bar located at the front edge of said bearing portion and at right angles thereto, and a lug at right angles to the reach bar and having an aperture in alinement with the aperture 01E-thor projecting part.

5. In a typewriting machine, a key-lever,

provided with a suspending head intermediate the ends of said lever and having spaced and apertured integral bearing parts in substantial alinement. l

6. In a typewrit-ing machine, a key-lever having an integral suspending head located above the body and provided with spaced bearing parts and a bar connecting said Y parts and` body.

7. In a typewriting machine, a key-lever extending on one side only of the having a horizontally disposed body and ing bearing part having an aperture and extending frem one edge of the body inter- This specification signed and witnessed mediate its' ends, an mtegrai reach bar arthis 6th day of January A. D. 1911.

ranged at right angles to said bearing part and an integral lug formed at right angles; e OTTO PETERMANN' to the reach bar at one end thereof and hav- Witnesses: ing an aperture in' alinement with the aper- W. A. TOWNER, Jr., ture of the rst-mentioned bearing part. C. BAn'mLs.

copies of this patent my be obtained for ive cents each, by addressing the Commiuiener of Intento,

Washington, D. C." 

